viranimus said:
Ive said this before, Ill bring it up now. Its not that the act itself is unmanly, its that the act as a whole is an archaic artform that serves no purpose in modern connotations. It simply should no longer exist.
?Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.? - C.S. Lewis
Your argument is a slippery slope my friend. If you dismiss dance on those grounds, you may find yourself dismissing music, games, films, sport etc. on the same logic.
Furthermore, I hate to argue against this point on its own terms by justifying it's utilitarian value. The initial argument misses the point in the first place and asks me to do something that I shouldn't have to. But here it goes...
Dance is a great form of exercise. Because its fun, its easier for people to incorporate it into their daily routines than, say, sweating it at the gym for a couple hours. Studies have also shown that dancing can reduce the incidence of dementia. Aside from that, dance is a social activity. I believe that in "utilitarian" terms, that gives it an advantage over solitary pursuits like gaming, because meeting people and having good friends is one of those uncontroversially good things in life. You are also bringing joy to others, which again is an advantage it has over solitary pursuits. If you are a professional dancer, you can make money from it.
